Türkiye’s new visa center opens in Erbil

Türkiye opens new visa center in Erbil to strengthen humanitarian ties

Arman Topçu, Türkiye’s consul general in Erbil, officially inaugurated the new Turkish visa application center in the Iraqi city. The center receives around 600 applications a day in Erbil and approximately 1,200 applications daily across Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and Duhok.

Scraper SystemSeptember 20, 2026, 01:25 PM

Türkiye opens new visa center in Erbil to strengthen humanitarian ties

The new Turkish visa application center opened in Erbil, in northern Iraq, will help strengthen humanitarian ties between Türkiye and Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Arman Topçu, Türkiye’s consul general in Erbil, officially inaugurated the center on Saturday. The center began operations in April.

Topçu said humanitarian ties were the strongest bond between Türkiye, Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. He said the new visa center would serve as a tool for strengthening those ties and expressed hope that the two countries would eventually reach a point where visa procedures were no longer needed.

Topçu said the region was going through difficult conditions because of the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran, and that Erbil had been affected by the situation in a way it did not deserve. Despite this, he said the visa application center had never suspended its operations during the war.

Aydın Maruf, minister in charge of ethnic and religious communities in the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq and a member of the executive board of the Iraqi Turkmen Front; Erbil Governor Ümit Hoşnav; and Erbil Mayor Kirzgan Abdulhadi attended the opening ceremony.

Around 600 applications a day in Erbil

Erbil Governor Ümit Hoşnav said the new center would make it easier for Iraqis to obtain visas. Hoşnav said people from the region traveled to Türkiye for tourism, medical treatment and trade, and expressed hope that he would see the day when visa requirements between the two countries were abolished.

Hoşnav said around 600 people applied for Türkiye visas in Erbil each day. According to the authorized company that operates visa application services under the Turkish Consulate General in Erbil, the total number of daily applications for Türkiye visas in Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and Duhok is approximately 1,200.

Aydın Maruf said the visa center in Erbil served an important function. Maruf said Iraqis traveled to Türkiye for medical treatment, education and tourism, adding that the center provided an important service for Erbil residents.

New center planned for Zakho, Duhok center to relocate

Topçu announced that Türkiye would open a new visa center in the Iraqi city of Zakho, near the Turkish border, in the coming period. He also said the visa application center in Duhok would be moved to a more suitable location.

Türkiye opens new visa center in Erbil to strengthen humanitarian ties